CONTENTS:

 INTRODUCTION
 TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
o Agricultural,
o Biodiversity,
o Industrial,
o Human health,
o Natural and
o Nuclear Disasters
 STRATEGIES OF URBAN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT TO
PREVENT ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
 CONCLUSION
 The Various Types of Environmental Disasters:
As mentioned above there are a number of various causes of environmental
disasters, these include: agricultural, biodiversity, Industrial, human health,
natural and nuclear disasters.

 Agricultural Disasters

Agricultural disasters are environmental disasters that occurred as a result

of an impact upon the agricultural industry. An example of such a type of
disaster is the “dust bowl” that occurred in the United States and Canada
between 1934 and 1939.

 The Dust Bowl

The dust bowl has been the focus of many art and literary works; however
for those it affected there was nothing artistic at all. The dust bowl describes
a period of time in the 1930’s when the combination of severe winds, over
farming land without using crop rotation methods and drought created a
literal dust bowl on all of the prairie lands of the United States and Canada.
The state of the land forced hundreds of thousands of people to move from
their homes due to a lack of food and no economic opportunity.
 Biodiversity Disasters

Biodiversity disasters are environmental disasters that resulted as an after

effect of a specific species moving in to a new territory and destroying or
severely damaging new species or having a destructive effect upon the
natural environment. An example of such a type of disaster is the
introduction of rabbits in to Australia or the presence of Dutch elm disease.

The Introduction of Rabbits to Australia

The introduction of something as “harmless” as a rabbit to Australia may not

seem like a significant concern but on the contrary it is believed to be one of
the most devastating factors in destroying native Australian species. As
European rabbits were introduced to Australia they fed on a number of
native plant species saplings and with such a rapid reproduction rate plant
species were unable to maintain their population. The rabbits also
contributed greatly to the erosion as they fed on plant species and left top
soil to be ravaged by weather conditions
 Human Health Disasters

Human health disasters result from the spread of disease or other cause of
mass death among the human species causing mass destruction and
devastation. An example of such a type of human health disasters is the
introduction of the Bubonic Plague in to the population or the spread of
smallpox among the new Americas.

 The Bubonic Plague

The bubonic plague was introduces to Europe from Africa in the 7th century
at which time some 100 million individuals died. The plague was again
introduced to Europe once again but this time from central Asia in the 14th
century, it is this episode of the plague that is recognized as the Black
Death. The second incidence of the bubonic plague claimed 200 million
lives. The Black Death was so destructive that it is estimated that it took 150
years for the population of Europe to recover.
Natural Disaster

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes

of the earth ;examples include floods, hurricanes , tornadoes, volcanic
eruptions , earthquakes , tsunamis , and other geological processes .A
natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage , and typically
lives some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends
upon the affected population’s resilience or ability to recover and also on the
infrastructure available.

An adverse event will not rise to the level of disasters if it occurs in its area
without vulnerable Population. In a vulnerable area, however , such as
Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, an earthquake can have disastrous
consequences and leave lasting damage, we can require years to repair
Industrial Disasters

Industrial disasters are disasters which occur as the result of large industries
impacting the natural environment either in a small radius or on a global span.
An example of such a type of industrial disaster is the leak of methyl isocyanate
that occurred in the Bhopal disaster or the use of CFC’S depleting the ozone
layer.

Bhopal, India Gas Leak

In December of 1984 a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India released a toxic gas

cloud of methyl isocyanate that would kill some 3,000 people in just days after
the leak. This gas cloud is tagged as the single deadliest man-made
environmental disaster in history not only because of the death count that built
up in the days that followed the event but also because of the fatalities that
followed. According to the Indian government some 15,000 individuals died as
a result of the immediate and delayed after effects of the toxic gas cloud.
 Nuclear Disasters

Nuclear disasters result from nuclear activity such as a nuclear spill or

damage to a nuclear power plant that result in a radiation leak. Many people
lump nuclear disasters in with industrial disasters; however, due to the
significance of the damage caused by nuclear disasters and the unique
nature of the disasters themselves they should be separated in to their own
category. An example of nuclear disaster is the recent Fukushima power
plant damage that resulted from the 2011 tsunami.

The Fukushima Nuclear Plant Disaster

The most recent environmental disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. After
being struck by a 9.0 magnitude that was followed by a massive tsunami
which devastated Okuma in Fukushima, Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant began a process of failure. Fortunately, this
environmental disaster claimed only one life as the result of a heart attack,
but some 37 individuals experienced physical injuries and two workers at
the plant who were standing in water from the reactor experienced radiation
burns.
STRATEGIES OF URBAN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
TO PREVENT ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS :

The environmental impacts of the settlement development are on one hand

mainly effected by the converse of open spaces to sealed building areas
and on the other hand also caused by the specific location of new settlement
areas.
Therefore the quantity and the quality use of land resources are determined
as the central indicator of the guiding principle for sustainable settlement
development. In case of expanding settlements the land consumption and
land use have to be taken into account carefully. The resource “land” cannot
be enlarged, that is why the land use for urban development has to be
defined by specific criterion. The structure and the density of the settlements
and new building areas have to be optimised , so that the consumption of
agricultural land and open spaces and also of energy for traffic purposes is
low. The specific land used for settlement and traffic, especially the part of
the sealed space, can be used as a general indicator for sustainable
development, which also reduces the risks of disasters.
 CONCLUSION:

Finally the significant progress has been achieved in disaster preparedness

and reduction in the region over the past decade, in terms of improvements
in planning, institutional strengthening and use of advance technology
including space technology applications. However, the increase in the
intensity of natural disasters requires continuing and more intensive efforts
at local, national and regional levels.